INTER-COUNTY LEAGUE W.R. beats Springfield to finish in second place

Jake Zatchok fired a complete game two-hitter, striking out nine.
By RYAN JONES
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- The Western Reserve High baseball team finished its Inter-County League season Thursday with an 11-1 victory over Springfield.
The second-place Blue Devils (14-7, 10-4) collected 13 hits, which was more than enough offense for junior pitcher Jake Zatchok.
Using three different pitches effectively, Zatchok fired a complete game two-hitter, allowing an unearned run while striking out nine and walking four.
"Early on I struggled throwing my fastball for a strike; luckily I got my slider and curveball working well which gave them some problems," Zatchok said. "Hopefully winning this game will give us momentum going into our tournament game that is a must win."
Both teams will play in sectional finals Monday in the Division III tournament. Western Reserve faces Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy while Springfield takes on Campbell Memorial.
The Tigers scored their only run in the second inning when Tim Kawecki doubled off Zatchok. He later scored from third on a passed ball.
Taking control
Offensively the Devils were on top of their game. Chris Mountain singled to lead off the game and later scored on a wild pitch. Kyle Kekic was then hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Brandon Keck singled home Kekic for the 2-0 lead.
Mountain singled to start the third and scored on Kekic's double. Nick Sanders followed with an RBI double to score Kekic.
Keck singled home Sanders for his second RBI. Luke Srock singled and two batters later Zatchok hit a two-run single.
In the sixth, Mountain hit his third single and scored on Sanders' single. Kekic, who finished 3-for-4 with two doubles, then walked and later scored on a passed ball.
"I'm starting to see the ball better lately," Kekic said. "But being patient was the key. I got some nice pitches to hit."
After losing his first four games to Springfield, Kekic has helped the Blue Devils win the last four.
"Springfield is always one of the toughest teams in our league every year, so to beat them twice in a year is big," Western Reserve coach Paul Henderson said.